Governance expert joins Chamber board
International governance expert Karl George has been appointed to the board of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC).
He is a leading adviser and commentator on governance globally and provides organisations, including listed companies, leading professional service firms, governing and membership bodies, sports organisations and faith-based institutions with expert advice on the enhancement and implementation of governance codes.
It is the second time Mr George (pictured) has served on the GBCC board, having been a director from October 2004 to October 2007. It was in 2004 that he was awarded an MBE in the Queen 's Birthday Honours for services to social and business communities.
In one of his latest initiatives, Mr George launched the RACE Equality Code 2020, which was immediately adopted by the GBCC and Birmingham City Council among others.
It draws together more than 200 recommendations outlined in reports, charters and pledges which aim to tackle diversity and inclusion challenges
The RACE Code provides one set of standards and an overarching accountability framework based on current laws, codes and best practice. It streamlines existing recommendations into actions for organisations and their workforces across every sector. It is based on the principles of Reporting, Action, Composition and Education (RACE).
David Waller, chairman of the GBCC, said: “We are delighted to welcome Karl back to the Chamber board. His all-round business acumen and knowledge of corporate governance will be invaluable for the Chamber as it has for many leading businesses and organisations around the world. ”
Paul Faulkner, the GBCC 's chief executive, said: “Karl rightly has a global reputation for his work in the field of governance and beyond. We are privileged to have a man of his stature on the board. ”
Mr George said: “It 's a tremendous honour for me to be re-joining the Chamber board. I look forward to working with fellow board members and Chamber colleagues to build on the amazing support the organisation is giving to businesses of all shapes and sizes, particularly in these very difficult times ”.
“I am proud that Birmingham can be pioneers in the launch of the RACE Equality Code and that Sir Adrian Cadbury, the father of governance codes with the Cadbury Report, endorsed my governance framework and methodology. ”
Mr George has built a world-wide reputation for expertise in his field. He created the Effective Board Member programmes which have been delivered across 11 countries with more than 900 people graduating.
They have been delivered in partnership with organisations including PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), The Professional Footballers ' Association (PFA), The Football Association (FA), RSM UK, Edinburgh Napier University, the Association of Corporate Governance Practitioners (ACGP) and The Professional Cricketers ' Association (PCA).
The programmes have been developed specifically for CEOs, senior executives, women, young professionals, footballers, cricketers and other sports people.
Mr George has been conferred an honorary doctorate, is a visiting professor, established author, sought after speaker and community champion, and creator of The Board Game - a unique interactive learning tool which helps participants refresh their governance knowledge in a fun but challenging environment.
His latest book, 'The Effective Board Member ', launched in Autumn 2017 immediately went to number one in the Best Sellers list for Management and Leadership on Amazon Kindle.